City of Sierra Madre Police Department Annual Report 2017 Mission: To ensure community safety, and to deliver the highest quality service through our dedication, teamwork, and partnerships. Vision: To become the model for 21st century small town policing. Values: Integrity, Innovation, Dedication, Compassion. Motto: Serving Those We Protect.
Table of Contents MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS..1 ORGANIZATIONAL CHART.2 DEPARTMENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS & GOALS FOR 2018...3 MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF.4 COMMUNITY OUTREACH. 5 & 6 NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH & PUBLIC SAFETY AWARD 7 PERFORMANCE & ACCOUNTABAILITY.8 STATISTICS..9, 10 & 11 PERSONELL COMPLAINTS..12 DETECTIVES...12 & 13 COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICERS..14 RECORDS & CADETS 15 VOLUNTEERS & Reserve Officers. 16 SOCIAL MEDIA...17
Sierra Madre Mayor & City Council Mayor Rachelle Arizmendi Mayor Pro-Tem Denise Delmar Council Member John Capoccia Council Member Gene Goss Council Member John Harabedian 1
Organizational Chart 2
2017 Department Accomplishments & Goals for 2018 Under the leadership of Chief Joe Ortiz and the indispensable efforts of Department Personnel, the is now fully staffed. Established a successful Social Media presence with emphasis on community engagement and information sharing. Deployed Text to 911 emergency platform in our dispatch center. Continued investment in the development of SMPD personnel through additional training which includes: Tactical skill set training Mental health awareness Impaired driving detection o Marijuana o Alcohol Leadership Use of force Continue to increase engagement with our social media presence. Increase traffic enforcement measures needed to decrease overall collisions. 3
Message from the Chief Chief of Police, Joe Ortiz 2017 found the still recovering from the temporary set-backs of 2016. Newly promoted Chief of Police, Joe Ortiz was charged with developing a road map and investment plan towards a desired state with many new officers and dispatchers on board. Sergeants were given the responsibility of properly training the new officers with the goal of putting boots on the ground as soon as possible. Without hesitation, Chief Ortiz accepted the many tasks at hand, and in a short time the was on course to re-establish itself as a fully staffed, professional, wellrespected law enforcement agency. In 2017, department personnel began on a mission to restore and generate good-will deposits with the residents of Sierra Madre. Sierra Madre Police Officers did their best to ensure that our residents live in a safe community as they worked daily to deliver the highest quality service through their dedication, teamwork, and partnerships. The is proud to have established a positive community policing partnership with the residents, businesses and visitors of Sierra Madre. We have been extremely successful in our efforts to engage the entire community through many social media platforms, community outreach programs and establishing community stakeholders with an active and fluid volunteer force. I am very thankful for Mayor Arizmendi and the members of the City Council. Their continued support of our mission in this community is vital and much appreciated. I am also very thankful for the support of the citizens of Sierra Madre in a year that was tough for the law enforcement profession across our nation. We were reminded several times this past year about the risks in donning the badge and taking the oath of the police officer. Many more times through their supportive contacts and actions, our citizens displayed caring and thoughtful gestures which meant a great deal. Going forward we are mindful of our challenges, but optimistic about our path heading into 2018. I am pleased to present the 2017 Annual Report. It provides organizational information, City data, statistics, services and resources. Our Department is staffed by dedicated men and women who adhere to our values of integrity, accountability, community participation and quality service. We strive to provide the best in community safety for all those who live, work and visit the City of Sierra Madre. 4
Community Outreach St. Rita Church Coffee with A Cop Coffee with A Cop was also launched right here in Sierra Madre as we looked for additional ways to have positive interactions with the citizens that we served each day. The held a "Coffee with a Cop" event at every church in Sierra Madre along with different businesses in the city who volunteered to host the event. While the department shares these upcoming events over social media, our real strategy is to meet people who didn't necessarily intend to have coffee with a cop as part of their day. These activities provide an open forum to interact and establish relationships for our officers and community members. Berkshire Hathaway United Methodist Church 5
Cookies with a Cop Cookies with A Cop was the next step with our integration of the local schools in our Community Outreach program. Utilizing the same formula as our Coffee with A Cop format, we reached out to students from Pre-K to the 3 rd grade at schools within our community, both public and private. We demonstrated our emergency equipment, answered questions and of course, provided the cookies. For grades 4-8, we introduced students to our Conversation with A Cop that encourages open dialog with the students to discuss any topic they may have. 6
Neighborhood Watch Our Neighborhood Watch Program involves residents in efforts to prevent crime in their neighborhood or community. Citizens remain alert for suspicious activities and report those activities to the police. The most frequent crime targeted is residential burglary, but other offenses can be targeted as well, such as street robberies, car theft, and vandalism. Our program is very active and is considered the third pillar to establishing and maintaining a positive community policing partnership. Currently, we have approximately 60 different NW Block Captains living in different areas within the community. This year alone, the department facilitated approximately one meeting every eight weeks with residents in town. Public Safety Award In addition to hiring more staff, the department expanded its Police Volunteer Program. Our volunteers received the Public Safety Award at an annual city banquet for their dedication to serving the Sierra Madre Police Department and the community. Our reserve officers and police volunteers are selfless, and make themselves available to assist whenever they are called upon at any hour of the day or night. Both the SMPD volunteers and reserve police officers serve as force multipliers at all city events that are held throughout the year, and I am very proud of each and every one of them for their professionalism, dedication and service to the community. This year alone, our cadre of volunteers has provided over 1600 hours of donated service work to the community with a value of over $45,000.00 in donated time and services. 7
Performance & Accountability As a professional law enforcement organization, the takes great pride in delivering the highest level of public safety service. Employees make hundreds of contacts a month with members of our community in situations that are often challenging. Even in difficult situations, the mission of our department is to treat people fairly, with respect and to provide the highest level of service. Supervisors are expected to continually monitor their subordinates for compliance with policies and procedures, mandated laws, performance standards, safety protocols, and ethical behavior. Below are a few tools we use to help accomplish this: Annual Evaluations: Each year, every full time employee of the department receives a comprehensive annual evaluation with specific goals tailored to each employee. For example, employees are evaluated in five Performance Standards. These Standards are Customer Service and Public Relations, Tactical Performance, Teamwork and Internal Relations, Work Habits and Reports/Written Work. As the evaluation is crafted, supervisors often conduct random audits on investigations conducted by the officer being evaluated. Victims, witnesses or even suspects are contacted and asked if the officer was professional and patient and they are asked to rate the contact with the officer from 1-10, 10 being the best level of service. Video and Audio Recorders: Every patrol car is equipped with a video camera. The video/audio file from the patrol cars are automatically downloaded onto a server. Employees also carry digital audio recorders which they use for all field contacts. The recorders that are used capture audio files which are also downloaded on the department s server. These files from both recording devices cannot be deleted and provide valuable insight on investigations or allegations of a complaint. Supervisors randomly conduct audits of the video and audio files. Monthly Training: For several years the has utilized Lexipol, which is a provider of policy management resources for law enforcement organizations across the country. Lexipol is an on-line tool that provides comprehensive, defensible policies written by legal and public safety professionals. All employees are responsible for reviewing and understanding policy and procedure. Each employee is also required to complete a daily training bulletin for the entire month. These bulletins contain scenario based questions, with current policy attached to the bulletin that explains the topic in detail. An audit is completed on our employees to ensure they are meeting departmental requirements. Use of Force and Pursuits: When a Use of Force or pursuit occurs, a field supervisor completes a preliminary investigative report. The Watch Commander, Captain and Chief review every Use of Force and pursuit report to ensure there is compliance within departmental policy. The event is also used as a training opportunity for officers to learn from. 8
Statistical Information Traffic Data: 2747 traffic enforcement stops 837 moving and equipment citations issued 79 written/1831 verbal warnings issued 2596 parking citations issued Traffic accidents Non-Injury collisions increased 46% from 2016 Injury collisions increased 24% from 2016 9
Burglaries & Thefts from Motor Vehicles Data: 10
2017- Statistical Data Budget: Police Department: The City of Sierra Madre Budgeted General Fund allocation (FY 2016-2017) is as follows: Police Personnel (includes benefits) - $2,775,400.00 Maintenance & Operations- $764,300.00 Other Grants, Donations and Revenue- $100,000.00 Total- $3,639,700.00 Staffing: Full time officers: 16 Full time professional staff-(dispatchers/records): 5 Part-time staff: 12 Volunteers: 16 Hours Donated Volunteers 1242 Reserve Police Officers - 362 Dispatch: Total calls for service: 14,363 Total 911 calls made by landline and wireless callers: 2029 Detective Bureau: Search warrants: 17 Cases assigned: 745 Crime Stats: Residential and auto burglaries have decreased since 2016. However, commercial burglaries and thefts from motor vehicles have increased. Total arrests: 248 Out of the 745 cases investigated, 291 cases were cleared, 263 were closed, 14 are still active, 164 are inactive and 13 were found to be unfounded. Emergency Response Times: Priority one calls: 2:41 minutes Non-priority calls: 3:33 minutes Traffic Data: 2747 traffic enforcement stops were conducted. 837 moving and equipment citations were issued. 79 written and 1831 verbal warnings were issued. 11
Personnel Complaints Personnel Complaints: The takes seriously all complaints regarding the service provided by the Department and the conduct of its members. The Department will accept and address all complaints of misconduct in accordance with this policy and applicable federal, state and local law, municipal and county rules and the requirements of any collective bargaining agreements. It is also the policy of this department to ensure that the community can report misconduct without concern for reprisal or retaliation. *It should be noted that five of this year s complaints were received from one individual. TYPE OF NUMBER NUMBER NUMBER NUMBER NOT NUMBER COMPLAINT REPORTED SUSTAINED EXONERATED SUSTAINED UNFOUNDED Total Complaints 11 0 1 2 8 Noncriminal 11 0 1 1 2 Misdemeanor 0 0 0 0 0 Felony 0 0 0 0 0 Detectives Noteworthy Cases During 2017, the Detective Bureau wrote multiple search warrants, sent multiple types of evidence to the crime lab for DNA, computer, or latent print forensic processing. Below is a small sampling of the types of investigations and arrests the officers were involved in during 2017. Officers conducted a traffic enforcement stop for a vehicle code violation. Officers made contact with the driver and ultimately conducted a search of the vehicle. During the search, officers located stolen mail and other stolen items. The suspect was arrested for mail theft and the arrest was turned over to the US Postal Inspector. The suspect was charged in Federal Court with violation of USC 18.1708. Officers received a radio call of a suspicious occupied vehicle. Prior to the officer s arrival, the vehicle left the area. Officers located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. A search of the vehicle was conducted and revealed that the driver was in possession of an imitation firearm without an orange tip. The suspect was arrested and booked for PC 20150(a) and was eventually charged in court with PC 20150(a). 12
A theft occurred from a vehicle and the suspect used the victim s credit cards at different stores in Baldwin Park and Duarte. The suspect was identified and eventually charged in court with PC 530.5(a), PC 484(a), and PC 490.2. Officers responded to a report of a robbery that just occurred. While conducting an area check, officers located the suspect vehicle. Three suspects were taken into custody and booked. All three arrestees were eventually charged in court with PC 211. Officers responded to the report of a reckless driver. On the officer s arrival, they located the vehicle abandoned and the driver was hiding in the yard of a nearby residence. During the officer s investigation, it was determined that the suspect stole the vehicle from a gardener who was in the area and he drove the vehicle recklessly in a manner until it became immobile. The suspect was eventually arrested and booked, and charged in court with violation of PC 487(d)(1), PC 10851(a), HS 11550(a), and VC 12500(a). An anonymous person reported that a neighbor was growing Marijuana in the backyard of a home. The reporting party also said that this same neighbor was currently loading the marijuana into a truck. Officers responded to the area and quickly located the vehicle. A traffic stop was made and it was determined the driver was driving on a suspended license and had an outstanding criminal warrant. An inventory of the vehicle revealed the suspect was in possession of over six hundred marijuana plants in various stages of growth, approximately 125 pounds of mature marijuana buds, and a large amount of U.S. currency. Officers conducted a traffic enforcement stop for a vehicle code violation. Officers made contact with the driver and ultimately conducted a search of the vehicle. During the search, officer recovered stolen mail and other stolen property. The suspect was arrested and his arrest was eventually turned over to the US Postal Inspector for further prosecution. A burglary occurred at 611 E. Sierra Madre Blvd where a suspect entered the building, distracted an employee, and eventually stole her cellular phone. Through follow-up investigation, the suspect was identified. The Detective Bureau eventually located, interviewed, and arrested the suspect for burglary. He was charged in court with PC 484(a) and PC 490.2. 13
Community Service Officer Under general supervision the Community Service Officer (CSO) performs a variety of non-hazardous duties in support of sworn personnel, including report preparation, investigation and public education. The CSO may be assigned to uniformed and non-uniformed positions in Patrol, Crime Prevention, Evidence, Administration, Investigation, or other duties within the Police Department, as designated by the Chief of Police. Most positions require shift work; new incumbents are typically assigned to uniformed field duty and permitted transfer to other assignments as vacancies arise. Community Service Officers are non-sworn (civilian) positions without powers of arrest and do not carry firearms. Some CSOs are authorized to carry less-lethal weapons such as batons or pepper spray, and do receive training in self-defense tactics. Many departments authorize their CSOs to issue traffic and civil infraction citations in the course of accident investigations. At some agencies, the first year of the job is primarily clerical, with little field work. The amount of training a CSO receives will vary by state, and even by local jurisdiction within a state. The current climate within larger police agencies is that they are becoming increasingly constrained because of budgetary concerns and the need to serve a larger or growing community. In this environment, the position of the CSO is considered a blessing for both the departments and communities they serve in. CSOs typically are paid significantly less than sworn officers, allowing departments to field more people for the same amount of money. This has the effect of providing quicker response times to citizen requests for police services. Further, CSOs usually handle lower priority calls, which do not require an armed police officer with arrest powers; freeing sworn officers to concentrate on those incidents requiring their specific skill set. Even a few CSOs can have a significant impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of police services that departments provide. The hiring process for CSO's is similar to the process of a sworn officer in most departments. CSO's must undergo oral board reviews, polygraph tests, medical and psychological exams, writing skills tests, and background investigations. The City of Sierra Madre currently has two Community Service Officers (CSO) that primarily oversee social media and traffic enforcement. 14
Records/Administrative Aide The records section is responsible for the maintenance and release of all documents within the. One of the core assignments is the retention of all reports and scanned attachments of all crimes and arrests made by the Department as well as facilitating the dissemination of information to citizens and government agencies. The records section responds to all citizens requests for copies of reports or general information regarding crimes which occur in the City of Sierra Madre following the guidelines mandated by the California Department of Justice. Outside government agencies will request information for purposes of investigations or employment. Following CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) the records section supplies the allowed documentation. Records also supplies the LA County District Attorney s office with the court filing packages and discovery requests during the trial period. CADETS The Police Cadet position is a trainee program for college students between the ages of 18 and 25 designed for career development into the profession of law enforcement. Cadets perform non-hazardous duties throughout the Police Department. They work in various assignments including the traffic bureau, records bureau, investigations and administration. Cadets work the department s front desk by answering telephone calls and assisting citizens that come into the lobby area. Additional duties include serving subpoenas, traffic control during special events, taking minor police reports, signing off tickets and conducting station tours. Our cadets are also responsible for conducting follow up on criminal cases at Pasadena Superior Court, along with assisting in the processing and transportation of evidence to and from the LASD crime labs. 15
Volunteers The Civilian Volunteers are an integral part of the police department s work force. The volunteers augment the department by conducting special assignments and details, so that police officers can increase their availability in the field. The volunteers perform a wide range of non-enforcement duties and provide many services for the department and the community such as: assisting with traffic control, radar surveys and performing vacation checks, and assisting with the many annual community events. The Volunteers provide an invaluable source of experience, energy and time to make their community a safer place to live. The department has 16 active volunteers and in 2017 they collectively volunteered 1242 hours of service to the department and community. The Independent Sector Organization provides a yearly dollar value based on wages of nonmanagement, non-agricultural workers. This estimate helps acknowledge the millions of individuals nationwide who dedicated their time, talents, and energy to make a difference. For California the value of volunteer time is $28.46 per hour. In 2017, Volunteers volunteered a totaled 1242 hours of service. These hours are equivalent to $35,347.32 of value to the City of Sierra Madre Reserve Police Officers The currently has 5 Reserve Police Officers. All our Reserve Officers volunteer their time to assist in patrol, and the many city events that are held each year. In 2017 our Reserve force provided a total of 362 hours of service which equates to value of $10,302.52 in value to the City of Sierra Madre. As with our Volunteer force, the would not be able to deliver the service that we do, if it were not for our Reserve Police Officers and Volunteers. 16
Social Media Throughout 2017 the has successfully built a strong foundation within the social media world by utilizing Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Nixle as the conduit to deliver vital information to our followers and other law enforcement agencies. The department has been able to relay up to date information to thousands of people in cases such as; warning of trail closures, active investigations in a certain area, crime alerts and trends, missing person reports or simply to inform followers of an upcoming community event. In return, we have witnessed the positive effects of choosing to be active and current in the expanding social media market. Our residents have responded with encouraging feedback and appreciation. As our efforts continue, our goal is to establish a growing audience of online followers which will serve as another tool in assisting outside agencies, our investigations, locating suspects, or a crucial tip to help lead to arrests. Follow the SMPD on: 17